Toy vehicle remote controller

ABSTRACT

A toy car radio controller has a housing  10  with an open compartment  13  in one side A radio controllable car  14  fits into the compartment for storage when not in use. Electrical contacts connect a battery of the controller to a battery of the car when the car is stored in the controller.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention

[0002] The invention relates to a toy vehicle remote controller.

[0003] 2. Description of Prior Art

[0004] Toy vehicles controllers, typically for cars, are well-known. The controllers usually generate radio signals but may also use other transmissions, such as infrared or ultrasonic signals. These controllers are handholdable and powered by batteries. They are used to remotely control the speed and direction of the vehicle. The vehicle has its own power source and a receiver for responding to signals from the controller. The controller and vehicle must be separately stored when not in use, which is often not convenient or particularly safe.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0005] It is an object of the invention to overcome this problem.

[0006] According to the invention there is provided a toy vehicle remote controller and a controllable vehicle, in which the controller has an open compartment into which at least a substantial part of the toy vehicle can fit and be secured

[0007] The compartment is preferably configured such that the vehicle can only fit to the controller in one chosen orientation.

[0008] The compartment may have walls shaped to fit snugly against at least parts of outer surfaces of the vehicle in the one chosen orientation.

[0009] Posts may be provided in a base of the compartment that receive and slide into co-operating apertures in an outer surface of the vehicle when the vehicle is fitted in the compartment. There are preferably at least two posts that carry electrical contacts and co-operating of the apertures have electrical contacts for mating with the electrical contacts on the posts.

[0010] Preferably, the vehicle fits completely inside the compartment.

[0011] A lid may be provided for closing off the compartment

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] A handholdable toy car radio controller and toy car according to the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

[0013]FIG. 1 is an front isometric view of the controller;

[0014]FIG. 2 is an isometric rear view of the controller with the toy car stored in the controller; and

[0015]FIG. 3 is an isometric rear view of the controller with the car removed from the controller.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0016] Referring to the drawings, in FIG. 1 the controller has an external housing 10, various control buttons 11 and an aerial 12. Such a remote controller is already very well-known and is normally used for transmitting radio signals (or other signals) to the car. The car is provided with a receiver that responds to signals from the controller for changing its speed and/or its direction of travel, in a manner also already well-known.

[0017] An open compartment 13 is integrally formed in a rear face of the housing 10 as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. The car 14 fits within the compartment as shown in FIG. 2 Walls of the compartment fit snugly against or around the outer surfaces of the car and it will be appreciated that the car can only fit into the compartment when suitably orientated, with its bonnet 15 facing away from the aerial 12. Posts 16 and 17 are provided on a base of the compartment to slidingly fit into cooperating apertures 18 and 19 formed in a lower surface of the car. Electrical contacts 20 and 21 held against sides of the posts mate respectively with contacts 22 and 23 in the apertures 18 and 19 when the car is stored in the controller. A removable lid (not shown) may be fitted to close off the compartment 13.

[0018] When the controller is not in use, the car can be conveniently and safely stored in the controller as shown in FIG. 2. It is possible for the car when stored, not to be mounted completely inside the controller but sufficiently inside for convenience and for maintaining the controller and the car ‘attached’ together, such that and at least to some extent, for the controller and the car to be physically compact and intact.

[0019] Normally, the controller is powered by a re-chargeable battery, as is well-known already in the art. Preferably, the car is also powered by a re-chargeable battery which can be re-charged via the contacts 20 to 23. Even where the controller battery is not re-chargeable, that battery will tend to drain more slowly in use than the car battery, so the car battery may still be re-charged from the controller battery during times of car storage via the contacts 20 to 23.

[0020] The posts are normally arranged to hold the car sufficiently firmly in the compartment 13 to prevent inadvertent separation of the posts 16 and 17 and apertures 18 and 19. However, the walls of the compartment may arranged to frictionally slidingly fit against parts of the outer surface of the car to hold the car more firmly in the compartment 13. Spring clips, or similar, may also be used for holding the car in the compartment.

[0021] The stored orientation of the car in the described arrangement is determined essentially by the overall shape of the compartment. The required orientation may additional or alternatively be determined in other ways. For example, this can be done by arranging the posts 16 and 17 to be non-symmetrical either individually or by their disposition within the cavity of the compartment. Also, additional posts (and apertures in the car) may be provided to fit together only when the orientation of the car is chosen correctly. The posts then collectively physically prevent the car being entered into compartment the ‘wrong way round’. 

I claim:
 1. A toy vehicle remote controller and a controllable vehicle, in which the controller has an open compartment into which at least a substantial part of the toy vehicle can fit and be secured.
 2. A toy remote controller and a controllable vehicle according to claim 1, in which the compartment is configured such that the vehicle can only fit to the controller in one chosen orientation.
 3. A toy remote controller and a controllable vehicle according to claim 2, in which the compartment has walls shaped to fit snugly against at least parts of outer surfaces of the vehicle in the one chosen orientation.
 4. A toy remote controller and a controllable vehicle according to claim 1, including posts in a base of the compartment that receive and slide into co-operating apertures in an outer surface of the vehicle when the vehicle is fitted in the compartment.
 5. A toy remote controller and a toy vehicle according to claim 4, in which there are at least two posts that carry electrical contacts and co-operating of the apertures have electrical contacts for mating with the electrical contacts on the posts.
 6. A toy vehicle remote controller and a toy vehicle according to claim 1, in which the vehicle fits completely inside the compartment.
 7. A toy remote controller and a toy vehicle according to claim 6, including a lid for closing off the compartment. 